


Awakening

by Madelief



Series: Mind Over Matter [7]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Childbirth, F/M, Fluff, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-09 03:10:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12267645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madelief/pseuds/Madelief
Summary: From a Tumblr prompt: Panicking, our child about to be deliveredIn the final minutes before their child is born, Kaidan and Shepard are hit with the enormity of it all.....





	Awakening

‘Kaidan…’

He stirs immediately at Shepard’s tired voice, exhausted from a labour which has drained them both. With a groan he sits upright, the massive armchair that served as a spot to rest his head in no way any compensation for a comfortable bed. It’s been two years since Shepard defeated the Reapers, and while they both still serve in the Alliance, a chushy desk job back on Earth has clearly left him soft.

Any aches and pains are, however, forgotten as he stands next to Shepard, holding her hand tightly. The nurses turned down the incessant drone of the monitors, their various beeps and bings and the combination of Shepard’s and the baby’s heartbeat driving her to distraction. The flicker of pulses and brain activity is visible though, Shepard’s head determinedly turned away from the welter of technology. She doesn’t want to second-guess, safe in the knowledge that the medical team will be in the delivery room in a trice if something untoward happens to the baby.

It’s her way of controlling the paralysing fear, a paranoia that’s dogged Shepard from the moment she came out of the bathroom white as a sheet, wordlessly passing Kaidan a positive pregnancy test. He’d been ecstatic – still is. She, to this very second, is terrified. Kaidan wishes there’s more he could do, understanding now the age-old conundrum partners face when their other halves go into labour. If he could carry the burden for her he would, but he’s reduced to holding her hand and whispering quiet words of comfort and reassurance.

Shepard’s gripping hold of a clicker, releasing pain medication when she needs it to combat the worst of the contractions, her other hand hooked up to an IV. Strangely, he’d thought that there would have been…..more. That Dr Chakwas could wave her omni-tool and the baby would miraculously arrive, sparing Shepard from the agony of labour. It seems so – primitive. Dr Chakwas had laughed at him, of course, when he’d asked what else could be done.

‘Regardless of the advances in science, Major Alenko, the process of delivering a child into the world has remained unchanged for millennia, and is unlikely to alter much in the next thirty weeks. A natural labour is still by far the safest form of delivery, for both mother and child.’

Shepard had received the news stoically enough, then spent nine months alternately vomiting and ignoring her ever-increasing belly. She’s carried on as if nothing has changed, only modifying her training regime in recent weeks and working right up till her due date, exhaustion finally claiming her. There has been little pleasure for her in the small things such as decorating the baby’s room, purchases treated as casually as grocery shopping.

Kaidan hasn’t pushed, all too aware of the trauma Shepard lives with day in and day out. There will be time enough to discuss names, to coo over the image of tiny feet and little hands. Shepard believes she’s the cause of too much death and destruction to comprehend her capability of giving life. Of giving love.

And now, the result of one, magical night is about to change their lives forever.

Her eyes are wild in the dim light of the room, her breathing rapid and her heartrate skittering. For the last thirty hours since her waters broke Shepard’s been almost inhumanely calm. That veneer has, after a fitful rest, been shattered.

‘Kaidan....’. Shepard looks to the window, the black of the night now the deep purple of dawn. ‘I’m not ready. I can’t do this….’

The grip of her hand in his tightens, Kaidan smoothing back strands of flyaway hair from her forehead. ‘You are the bravest woman I’ve ever met. You’ve faced down Reapers, survived the Omega 4 relay and saved the universe from extinction. You can do this. I will be here with you every step of the way.’

‘I – what if – the baby, will it be ok?’ Shepard hasn’t allowed herself any details of the ultrasounds, beyond the fact that the baby is physically healthy. She’s witnessed too much death, convinced she’ll be responsible for the loss of something so precious as their child. ‘I can’t believe I have to….push it out of me. How the fuck am I going to push out a human! More to the point, what am I going to do with a tiny human!’

‘The baby is absolutely fine. Dr Chakwas and a midwife are going to help you down the business end. Me, I’m going to be right here, cheering you on. Just as I always have.’ Kaidan drops a light kiss on her forehead, holding up a glass so Shepard can sip some water. ‘You will be an amazing mom. The best. I’m bursting with pride for all you’ve achieved. Being a parent is the ultimate challenge, truly the great unknown. I can’t wait to explore this final frontier with you.’

She’s soothed by the calming notes of his voice, her panic subsiding and her breathing returning to normal. ‘It won’t be long now,’ Kaidan continues softly. ‘It’s nearly over, lovely lady. You’re so very brave. I am in awe of what you’ve overcome to be here, with me. With us.’ He rests his free hand on her belly, smiling as the baby gives a vigorous kick. ‘He or she is pretty keen to come out now….’

Before Shepard can respond, the lights brighten and the click of the doorlock indicates company.

‘Indeed. And not a moment too soon. This baby could give Joker lessons in casual behaviour.’ Dr Chakwas bustles into the room followed by a stern-looking midwife, nodding briskly at them both. ‘Six-thirty am and this baby is not hanging around. You’ve managed a few hours sleep and your contractions have been building nicely. How are you feeling?’

‘Like a Reaper fucking sat on my pelvis,’ Shepard groans, Kaidan helping her to sit upright as she struggles to get her legs back into the stirrups. ‘I can’t feel a thing below my waist but….the pressure is – intense.’

‘Perfect!’ Dr Chakwas beams, flicking on a bright light and scanning through the numerous charts on her omni-tool. ‘Everything looks normal. Let’s check your dilation….ten centimetres at last.’

Dr Chakwas looks up at them both as the midwife removes the IV in Shepard’s arm. ‘This is it, both of you. Major Alenko, your job is to give her any help she needs. If she screams and swears at you and tells you never to come near her again, deal with it, don’t run away in a strop. Ready to push, Commander?’

It’s Kaidan’s turn to suck in a quick breath, almost bruising Shepard’s fingers as he clenches his fist sharply. In a matter of minutes, he’s going to become a father. In less than an hour, he’s going to be responsible for nurturing life, not ending it. He’s been so focussed on hauling Shepard through these last months he’s not allowed himself time to dwell on the practicalities. The responsibilities. The….

‘I love you. I can’t wait to see you holding our child.’

Shepard’s hesitant whisper cuts through Kaidan’s terror. He blinks, the room blurring before he glances down at her gentle smile. The panic has left her, Shepard now serene in the face of what’s to come.

‘Sorry. I – it’s just hit me, that’s all,’ he mumbles sheepishly. ‘I love you too. More than words can ever express.’

‘Just….don’t flap around in circles like you did when I told you my waters broke.’ Shepard chuckles at the memory of Kaidan’s first moment of panic. ‘It will be any minute now. Are you ready to meet our baby?’

‘What an incredible child we’re going to have. Lead the way, Commander Shepard. I’ve got your six.’

They grin at each other quickly at the shared memory of Alliance camaraderie, Kaidan pressing a gentle kiss on her whitened lips. The noise is back in a trice as Dr Chakwas readies the various monitors, then Shepard, issuing a stream of orders they both meekly comply with. As he braces himself to support her in her first efforts to deliver a child to the world, he’s elated, thrilled with what the future holds for them both. His child is going to have the most wonderful mother, Kaidan now impatiently waiting for the next phase of their epic journey to begin.


End file.
